Women’s history
has a facet we must celebrate. Women
have been part of Indian stamps for decades. The First Stamp of Independent
India was issued on 21 November 1947. The first Indian woman on postage was
that of Mirabai, issued on October 1, 1952 and was for 2 annas. Since then
hundreds of Indian women stamps were issued and they commemorated women from
history to film actors. Here is a list of stamps issued with women on it and
their significance.
Permanent Commission
to Women in Indian Army
Army Chief General M MNaravane on Saturday (15-1-2022) released
a set of 4 postage stamps of various values (Rs 10, Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 15
respectively), commemorating permanent commission to women officers in the
Indian Army. The Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling in February 2020, had
directed the Centre to ensure that women short service commission (SSC)
officers are given permanent commission (PC) in the Indian Army, including
command postings.
A First Day Cover with the above four stamps, with a Panaji
Cancellation is shown below:
The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by
individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain
political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the
use of a many of methods. The sacrifices, hard work and contribution of some of
these freedom fighters, such as Chandrasekhar Azad, Mahatma Gandhi, and Subhash
Chandra Bose, is known to us, while other freedom fighters remain to be unsung
heroes. The contribution of women in the struggle for an Independent India
cannot be overlooked. A lot of courageous women raised their voice against the
British rule. These women possessed a lot of courage and intense patriotism.
Their selfless hard work, sacrifices and struggles are seldom talked about.
They sacrificed their lives for our nation. In this article of mine, I, have
tried to bring out as many different female freedom fighters from different
parts of the country as well as people from outside our country, who have
fought for our freedom such as Kittur Rani Chennamma, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Madam
BhikaijiCama and Sarojini Naidu etc.
History of Depicting
Indian Women in Stamps
The stamp Indian
woman to be depicted in Indian stamp was Sant Mirabai, way back in 1952 in 2
Annas stamp.
Mirabai (1952)
The famous devotee of
Krishna, Mirabai was the first Indian woman to be on a postal stamp in 1952.
Her Bhajans, dedicated to Krishna and her love and devotion to him made her an
icon. She was one of the key saints of Bhakti Movement. Her devotion to Krishna
was a labour of love, which meant she gave up her royal privileges and paid
little attention to duties as a queen.
A First Day Cover
with the Mirabaistamp which was released on 1st October, 1952.
Kalidasa’s Shankuntala
(1960)
In Hinduism,
Shakuntala is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. A stamp
was launched in 1960 to celebrate her story. Her most famous story is told
Kalidasa’s play Abhijñānaśākuntala.
Annie Besant (1963)
Annie Besant was the second
President of The Theosophical Society, one that was headquartered in Chennai.
Most major cities in India have roads named after her. She was a women’s rights
activist, a thinker, educationist and orator. Besant was a member of the
National Secular Society, which preached ‘free thought’.
Kasturba Gandhi (1964)
A political activist
during the freedom struggle, she was the wife of Mahatma Gandhi who was
passionate about freedom movements across India. Documents on her suggest
though she was always in the shadows of her husband, she was a leader who was
empowered and used the time away from her husband to hone her leadership
skills. For someone who wasn’t taught to read or write, she was capable and
contributed to the Independence movement significantly.
She was an active
presence in the Non- Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements and despite
her age, led the masses into a non-violent agitation against the colonial
masters.
Sarojini Naidu (1964)
She a feminist,
political activist, poet, and the first Indian woman president of the Indian
National Congress. She was the daughter of Aghorenath Chattopadhyaya, a Bengali
Brahmin who was the principal of Nizam’s College in Hyderabad. Her mother was
herself a great poet and used to write poems in Bengali. Having a well-educated
backdrop, Sarojini went to study early in 1895 at King’s college, London, and
later at Girton College Cambridge.
Kittur Rani Chennamma
(1977)
Rani Chennamma was in
someways the first female activist of Bharat. Long before the independence
struggle began, she made her mark in fighting oppression. She stood all alone
with a vibrant fiery eye against the British Empire. Rani Chennamma did not
succeed in driving them away, but she did provoke many women to rise against
the British rule. She was Chennamma Queen of the princely state Kittur in
Karnataka.
Rani Lakshmi Bai
The Rani of Jhansi,
Lakshmi Bai (19 November 1828 – 18 June 1858), was the queen of Maratha. She
was the first freedom fighter of India who fought in the Independence Movement
of 1857. She is always remembered for her bravery and valour as a warrior. She
fought against the British rule till the end and was considered a symbol of
resistance.
Kamala Nehru
Kamala Nehru, a
staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, was
amongst the first freedom fighters who raised their voices for women
empowerment. She was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, and married Nehru at
the age of 17. She was homeschooled and couldn’t speak in English. She gave
birth to a girl child, Indira Priyadarshini, who later went on to become the
Prime Minister of India.
Indira Gandhi (1984)
She was an astute
politician, stateswoman and the compass of the Indian National Congress. She is
the second longest serving Prime Minister of India.
Rukmini Devi (1987)
One of India’s
renowned Bharatnatyam dancers, she was born in Madurai to a South Indian
family. Her interest in dance was kindled by her meeting with a Russian
ballerina. She is a receipt of Padma Bhushan, the Sangeet Natak Academy
Puraskar. In 1936, she led the setting up of the Kalakshetra in Chennai which
has since produced many eminent dancers.
Her contribution goes
beyond dance. She invited Maria Montessori to come up and set up teaching
courses and that led to the Montessori style of education to begin in India.
Aruna Asaf Ali
Aruna Asaf Ali (16
July 1909 – 29 July 1996) was a political activist and an active member of the
Indian National Congress. She participated in the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit
India movement. She was imprisoned by the British. She organized protests
inside the jail against the treatment meted out to prisoners. Her strikes
resulted in the improvement of the conditions of the prisoners in Tihar jail.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (1989)
As the first health
minister of India, she was on the stamp in 1989. Known as freedom fighter and a
social activist, is known for setting up the Tuberculosis Association of India,
the Central Leprosy and Research Institute and several other health centres
across the country.
Vijayalakshmi Pandit
Vijayalakshmi Pandit
(18 August 1900 – 1 December 1990), played an important role in India’s freedom
struggle. She was the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, is known for her diplomatic
role in Indian politics. She was the first lady to be designated as a cabinet
minister for public health. She was the first woman to hold the post of the
president of the United Nations General Assembly. She was the first woman
ambassador in the world. She was ambassador to Moscow, London and Washington.
A 5 rupees stamp on M
L Vasnathakumari issued on 3rd July, 2018 with a Panaji Cancellation.
Indian Cinema
On 13th February
2011, six commemorative stamps featuring famous Indian actresses—Meena Kumari,
Nutan, Leela Naidu, Devika Rani, Savithri Devi and Kanan Devi—were released at
Indipex.
There are Goans too
Libia Lobo Sardesai
invokes immediate connection with Goa’s for running the underground radio
station, ‘Voice of Freedom'. Libia is known to have made repeated announcements
of the ultimatum to the last governor-general to surrender to the Indian Army.
A special cover on Libia Lobo Sardesai was released by the Department of Posts,
Goa Postal Divison on 17th December, 2021.
Unsung Heroes of
India
Smt Sahodra Rai Bai
was born 30 April 1919 in Kshatriya Khangar dynasty in Village Botrai, District
Damoh (M.P). She participated in the independence movement in 1942 and was
imprisoned. She actively participated in the Goa Liberation Movement against
Portuguese in 1955, and bravely led the movement holding the flag of India. A
Special cover on late Smt Sahodra Rai Bai was released by the Department of
Posts, M.P. Circle way back on 13 October, 2021.
References:
Most
of the material used in the present article has been taken from the
Brochure/Information Sheets provided by the Indian Posts & Telegraph
Department, Govt. of India, New Delhi and later by the Department of Posts,
Govt. of India, New Delhi.